在喜马拉雅已支持实时字幕 关注公众号“高效英语磨耳朵”获取文稿和音频 词汇提示 1.sculptures 雕塑 2.captivated 着迷 3.disciple 信徒 4.military 军事 5.rough drawing 草图 6.submarines 潜水艇 7.ceiling 天花板 8.faded 褪色 原文 Two Great Artists：Leonardo and Michelangelo Many people admire the paintings and sculptures that artists create. Some very beautiful paintings and sculptures were created by two men who lived in the same country and same time. These men were Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. They both lived in Italy around the year 1500. Leonardo da Vinci is most famous for his painting called the Mona Lisa. This is perhaps the best-known painting in the world. The Mona Lisa shows the head and shoulders of a dark-haired woman. When people look at this painting，they are often captivated by her smile and by her eyes，which have a look of mystery. Another painting of Leonardo's is called The Last Supper. This painting shows a famous scene from the Christian religion. In this painting，Jesus Christ seated at the middle of a long table，with his followers（the disciples）seated around him. Many of the paintings that were created at this time have a religious theme. Leonardo was not only a artist：he was also interested in engineering. He actually worked for some time as a advisor to a military leader，helping him to developing new machines for use in war. Leonard also made rough drawings of machines that are similar to those that were invented much later，such as submarines and helicopters. Obviously，Leonardo was an extremely creative man. Michelangelo was about 23 years younger than Leonardo. In addition to being a painter，Michelangelo was also a sculptor，and many experts consider him the greatest sculptor of all time. One of his most famous sculptures is David，which is a statue of a young man who was a famous figure in the Bible. Another great sculpture of Michelangelo's is called the Pieta. The Pieta shows Mary，the mother of Jesus，holding the body of her son across her lap. Michelangelo is also famous for painting the ceiling of a church known as the Sistine Chapel. The lead of the Roman Catholic Church，Pope Julius，asked Michelangelo to paint the ceiling of this new church. This project required many years of hard work，and the Pope complained that it took too long. However，when the work was finished，the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel was covered with beautiful paintings of many scenes from the Bible. Fortunately，many of the works of Leonardo and of Michelangelo can still be seen today in the art galleries of Europe. During the past 500 years，the color of the paintings had faded somewhat，but in recent years，some work has been done to restore these paintings to their original appearance.

在喜马拉雅已支持实时字幕 关注公众号“高效英语磨耳朵”获取文稿和音频 词汇提示 1.territories 版图，地区 2.continent 大陆 3.prairie 草原 4.cattle 牛 5.pasta 意大利面 原文 Canada：Provinces and Territories Canada is one of the largest countries in the world. It is located in the north half of the continent of North America，above the United States. Canada is divided into ten provinces and three territories，each of which is different from the others. The province of British Columbia is located at the far western end of Canada. British Columbia stretches from the Pacific Ocean，at the west，to the Rocky Mountains，at the east. British Columbia contains the city of Vancouver，where two million people live. Most of the land of British Columbia is very mountainous，with vast forests covering the mountains. In British Columbia，forestry is an important industry，providing wood for people around world. Moving east from British Columbia，the next provinces are Alberta，Saskatchewan，and Manitoba. These are known as the prairie provinces，because they are mostly made of flat，grassy land called“prairie”. Alberta is the province where the flat prairie meets the tall and beautiful Rocky Mountains. In Alberta，there are many fields where oil and gas are found，and there are many farms where cattle are raised. Saskatchewan is the province that grows most wheat. Wheat from Saskatchewan is sent around the world to make bread and pasta for many people. Manitoba is the other prairie province. Its large city，Winnipeg，is about halfway between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Winnipeg had the coldest winters of any large city in the world，with temperatures sometimes reaching -40 degrees Celsius！ Moving east，the next province is Ontario. The land in the northern part of Ontario is very rocky，and contains many thousands and thousands of lakes. Many mines are found in northern Ontario. In the southern part of Ontario，there is good farmland，and there are also many cities where factories produce cars and steel. Ontario contains Canada's large city，Toronto，as well as the capital city of Canada——Ottawa. In the southern part of Ontario are four of the largest lakes in the world，known as the Great lakes. Next to the Ontario is the province of Quebec. Unlike the other provinces，where most people speak English，most of the people in Quebec speak French. The capital of Quebec is called Quebec City，and this is one of the oldest cities in North America. Quebec City contains many buildings that are hundreds of years old. Also in the province of Quebec is the city of Montreal. Of all the French-speaking cities in the world，only Paris is larger than Montreal. In the eastern part of Canada are the Atlantic province，which are next to the Atlantic Ocean. These provinces are New Brunswick，Nova Scotia，Prince Edward Island，and Newfoundland. In the Atlantic province，fishing is an important industry. Tourism is also important，as many people come to see the beauty of these provinces. The people in these provinces are said to be the friendliest in Canada. in the far north of Canada are the three territories that lie beside the Arctic Ocean：Yukon，Northwest Territories，and Nunavut. Many people in these territories are the native people of Canada，known as the Indians and the Inuit. The northern areas have very cold，dark winters. The summer is short，but the days are very long and bright.

在喜马拉雅已支持实时字幕 关注公众号“高效英语磨耳朵”获取文稿和音频 词汇提示 1.corruption 腐败 2.bribes 贿赂 3.kickbacks 回扣 4.nepotism 裙带关系 5.embezzlement 贪污 6.accused 控告 7.guilty 有罪 8.qualified 有资格 9.expense 花费 原文 Corruption When an official of a government or business is acting dishonestly，we say that this person is corrupt. Corruption is a serious problem in many countries around the world. There are several different kinds of corrupt practices，including bribes，kickbacks，nepotism and embezzlement. A bribe is a payment of money or some other benefit in exchange for a decision that would not otherwise be made. For example，an accused criminal might bribe a judge so that the judge might make a decision of“no guilty”. Another example is that a business owner might bribe a government official，so that the official would allow the construction of very unsafe buildings. A kickback is similar to a bribe，except that the official receives some part of the money in a dishonest business deal. For example，governments sometimes decide which company should build a road. A company might offer some money to a government official who makes the decision，so that this company will be chosen，even if it is not the best company for the job. Nepotism happens when an official unfairly gives advantages to his or her relatives. For example，a government official might hire a brother or sister to do a job even though other people might be much better qualified for that job. Of course，all of us want to help our relatives，but it is wrong to do this at the expense of the public. Embezzlement happens when an official secretly steals some money from a company or government. For example，a manager at a company might secretly move some of the company's money to his or her own bank account，and that manager might lie about his or her expenses in order to receive more payment from the company. Corruption has very bad effects on people in several ways. Sometimes it can lead to very dangerous situations. One example of this is when unsafe construction projects are approved by officials who have been bribes. Another example is when criminals are freed as a result of bribes. Also，a country's economy can be damaged by corruption. For example，if companies must pay bribes in order to do business，then they may decide to leave the country. Also，if people's tax money is stolen by corrupt officials，this makes the people poorer. In addition，when company officials are corrupt，it makes the company less able to compete with other companies. How can corruption be stopped？ An important step is for each person to decide not to act in ways that are corrupt People must agree to take this problem seriously. Also，each company and each government must have strict rules about corruption It must be very clear to all employees-from the lowest to the highest-that corruption is totally unacceptable.

在喜马拉雅已支持实时字幕 关注公众号“高效英语磨耳朵”获取文稿和音频 词汇提示 1.conformity 从众 2.cognitive psychologists 认知心理学家 3.clinical psychologists 临床心理学家 4.ethologists 动物行为学 5.traits 特点 6.instincts 本能 原文 Psychology Are you interested in the behavior of people and animals？ If you are，then you might enjoy the study of psychology. Psychology is the study of behavior，but this is a very large area of study. There are several different branches of psychology，each of which studies a different aspect of behavior. Social psychologists study interactions among people. For example，a social psychologist might try to learn about the situations that cause people to behave aggressively. Another question studies by social psychologists is why certain people become attracted to each other. One of the interesting problems is in social psychology is conformity：what cause people to behave in the same way，and to follow what others do and say？ Cognitive psychologists study thinking，memory and language. One problem studied by cognitive psychologists is how people to remember numbers. For example，what is the best way to memorize some numbers？ Is it better to repeat the number to oneself，or to try to attach some meaning to these numbers？ A cognitive psychologist might also study language. For example，why can young children learn a second language so quickly and easily？ Cognitive psychologists are also interested in the ways that people learn to solve problems，such as finding a new place. Clinical psychologists study mental illnesses. For example，a clinical psychologists might try to find out the causes of depression，and to figure out the ways to help people who are depressed. Other clinical psychologists might study the behavior of people who suffer from addiction to drugs，so that this problems can be prevented and treated. Another topic of interest to clinical psychologists is violent behavior. It is very important to find ways of preventing violence and to change the behavior of persons who act violently. Some psychologists are interested in the measurement of psychological characteristics. For example，psychologists might develop tests to excess a person's intelligence，personality traits，or interests. These tests can help people to make decisions about education，occupation and clinical treatment. Psychologists who study the behavior of animals are called ethologists. Ethologists often go into wilderness areas to watch the activity of birds，fish or other animals. These psychologists try to figure out why it is that some animals have“instincts”for various behaviors such as parenting，mating or fighting. Some ethologists have learned very much about the unusual behaviors observe in many animals. These are only a few of the many areas of psychology. Truly，psychology is one of the most interesting areas of knowledge！

在喜马拉雅已支持实时字幕 关注公众号“高效英语磨耳朵”获取文稿和音频 词汇提示 1.demonstrated 论证 2.spontaneously 自发地 3.previous 以前的 4.infected 感染 5.rabies 狂犬病 6.confirmed 证实 原文 Louis Pasteur Louis Pasteur was one of the greatest scientists of all time. Pasteur made very important discoveries in biology and chemistry，and the techniques he developed helped greatly develop medical science and the agricultural and food industries. Pasteur was born in a small town in France during the year 1822. When he was a young man，Pasteur studied science at a university in the city of Paris. He soon did some excellent work in chemistry，and later began his famous study of germs. Pasteur was one of the first scientists to understand that many diseases could be caused by extremely，small，invisible organisms. Only a few other scientists had believed this before Pasteur. He advised doctors to wash their hands thoroughly before treating patients. Pasteur also demonstrated that life forms did not arise spontaneously. His research confirmed the idea，developed by previous scientists，that a living organism would not appear unless other individuals of its kind were present. One of Pasteur's most important contributions was a technique that has been named after him：pasteurization. Pasteurization kills the germs that are found in drinks such as milk or beer. Because of Pasteur's technique，people are no longer infected with diseases by drinking these liquids. Just as important as pasteurization was a technique called immunization. Pasteur found that a person or animal could be made safe，or immune，from a disease，by injecting the person with some weakened germs that cause the disease. The body can resist the disease after being immunized in this way. Today，many diseases are prevented by the use of this technique. Pasteur's discoveries also helped to save people who had already been infected with these diseases. One such disease is rabies. Rabies is a disease that sometimes occur in animals. This disease usually kills the animal，but before dying，the animal became very aggressive and may spread the disease by biting a person or other animal. One day，the parents of a young boy came to Pasteur's. Their son had been bitten by a dog that had the rabies disease. The parents knew their son would die from the disease，unless something could be done to save him. Pasteur agreed to help the boy，and the immunization technique saved the boy's life. Pasteur died in 1895. He was greatly admired around the world for his achievements，which have helped all the humankind. Today，Pasteur is considered to be the greatest figure of the history of medicine.

在喜马拉雅已支持实时字幕 关注公众号“高效英语磨耳朵”获取文稿和音频 词汇提示 1.gloomy 昏暗的 2.howl 嚎叫 3.peek 偷看 4.clap 霹雳声 5.rumble 隆隆响 6.definitely 明确的 7.rustling 沙沙作响 8.still 静止的 9.squeezed 挤压 原文 A Ghost One dark and gloomy night，I was sitting in my bedroom reading ghost stories. The stories were very scary. A storm was brewing outside my window. The wind began to howl，and the trees shook and bent in the wind. Lightening started to flash across the sky. I felt uneasy as I heard the low rumble of thunder. I glanced around my room. The shadows were deep and dark. The ghost stories were making my imagination play tricks on me. I thought that the shadows were moving. I looked under my bed to make sure that nothing was under there. I hid under the covers and peeked out. I was starting to hear things. A big streak of lightening flashed across the sky，and a loud clap of thunder made me a jump. I was very nervous. All of a sudden，I heard a noise. It was coming from my closet. I thought that it must be a ghost. I looked out from under my covers and waited for the ghost to appear. My face was white，and I was very，very scared. Then，I heard the noise again. Yes，there was definitely a rustling in my closet. I stayed very still and did not make a sound. I watched the closet and hoped the ghost would not come flying out at me. Something started to come out of the closet. I squeezed my eyes shut. I didn't dare to look at the ghost. I heard it come out of the closet. I felt it jump up on my bed. I was still too scared to look. Then the ghost made a noise. It said“meow”. I opened my eyes and saw my kitten standing there. It was my kitten that had made the rustling noises in the closet. I laughed and felt very foolish. I have decided not to read ghost stories on dark stormy nights. I think my imagination plays tricks on me when I read ghost stories on nights like that.

在喜马拉雅已支持实时字幕 关注公众号“高效英语磨耳朵”获取文稿和音频 词汇提示 1.alive and kicking 活蹦乱跳 原文 Advice to a Student from a Foreign Country My advice to a student from a foreign country would be talk，talk，talk. Talk as much as you can to the people who live in the place that you are visiting. Talk to them and practice your new language skills. Learn all the funny says and different words that make up their language. Talking is the only way to really learn a language. Listen to people and talk to people. If you talk to people，you also learn about their culture. I have a friend from Japan. His name is Nori. He often comes to see me so that he can practice his English. He gets confused about words hat sound same，but mean different things. He was asking me about the words“see”and“sea”. I explained to him that they do sound the same，but they are spelled differently，and they mean different things. Nori is learning some of our funny sayings from different people. One morning I asked him how he was，and he said“alive and kicking”. Another morning I asked him how he was，he said“so so”. He laughs about these strange sayings that we use. He is learning English quickly because he spends a lot of time with English-speaking people. He likes to have lunch with my friends and me because we ask questions about his homeland，and he answers us in English. If he doesn't understand our questions，we spend time explaining what we mean to him. He says that he enjoys being here. He thinks that the people are very friendly. We enjoy speaking to him and helping him to learn English. We also enjoy learning about his country. It is enjoyable for us to meet new people and learn about new things.

在喜马拉雅已支持实时字幕 关注公众号“高效英语磨耳朵”获取文稿和音频 词汇提示 1.hand-me-downs 传下来给我 2.spoil 宠爱 原文 The Middle Child I am the middle child of the family. I think it is nice in some ways. I have an older sister from whom I can borrow clothes from，if she lets me. I get to meet my older sister's friends，although sometimes they think that I am too young to be with them. I have a younger brother. He is cute，but sometimes I have to baby-sit to him. There are good things and bad things about being the middle child. My sister is the eldest child. She was the first child，so she spent the time alone with my parents. She got lots of attention when she was first born. They took lots and lots of pictures of her. All her clothes and toys were brand new. I got her hand-me-downs. My parents were strictest with her. They had lots of rules for her to follow. She is the first child，so they want her to be prefect. My younger brother is the baby of the family. I think that we all spoil her. We let him get away with some things that he shouldn't get away with. His room is always messy，and my mother never gets mad about that. She gets upset with me if my room is messy. She tells me that I'm old enough to keep a nice clean room. It's not good thinking about which position you would like to hold in the family. You really don't have a choice about that. I think I like being the middle child. I can relate to my older sister and my younger brother. Yes，I think the middle is probably a good place to be.

在喜马拉雅已支持实时字幕 关注公众号“高效英语磨耳朵”获取文稿和音频 词汇提示 1.counsellor 顾问 原文 Elementary School I go to Gainsborough Elementary School. I am in Grade 8. I am known as the“King/Queen”of the school this year. I feel very grown up. I love being the oldest kid in the school. My friends and I are often told that we are the examples to the younger kids in the school. That means we need to be good. I remember looking up to the grade eight kids when I was younger. I remember thinking how big and wise they seemed to be. Now I'm in grade eight，I hope that the younger kids see me as wise. I want to be a music teacher or maybe a nurse. My school counsellor helps me plan for high school. I am nervous because I know I will not feel like the“King”anymore. Things will be so different. I am excited because I will be meeting so many new people. I am looking forward to my graduation. I will wear a pink，silky dress. My shoes are light pink，too. My date's name is Chad. He is very nice. He is a good friend. I have known Chad since I was a little girl. I know that my future will be a bright one. I will miss all of my friends but I know we will see each other again someday.

在喜马拉雅已支持实时字幕 关注公众号“高效英语磨耳朵”获取文稿和音频 词汇提示 1.buckets 水桶 2.puddles 水坑 3.chilly 寒冷 4.splashing 溅 5.wrapped 包裹 6.leprechauns 妖精 7.claim 索取 原文 A Rainy Day The clouds were very gray. There was a loud boom that came from the sky. A bolt of lighting struck down a tree. All of a sudden buckets of rain came pouring down！ Jane and Bill were walking in a park when the rain started. Jane wanted to take pictures of the flowers，but the rain got her camera wet. She had to put it away so that it wouldn't get ruined. Jane was going to hide under a big tree to stay dry，but Bill told her that was not a safe idea. He said that she could be hurt if the lighting hit the tree. The tree could break and fall on her，or the lighting could even hit her！ The air was very chilly. Jane and Bill put on their sweaters and raincoats to keep warm. Jane took her umbrella out and put it up. They both walked under it to stay dry. The ground was really wet and muddy. Bill and Jane were very glad that they remembered to wear their boots. They ran through the puddles，getting mud and water all over the back of their pants. As they were running and having fun，they saw some ducks. There were five of them splashing around in a pond. The ducks were not afraid of the water；they swim in the water all the time！ Jane and Bill saw some big bull frogs near the pond. The frogs jumped into the pond when they heard Jane and Bill coming. After a little while，Jane and Bill decided to go home. They got into some dry clothes. Jane started to sneeze. She had gotten a little bit too wet！ Bill noticed the rain had stopped. “Look outside，Jane”he said. Jane wrapped a blanket around her shoulders and looked outside. There was a beautiful，bright rainbow across the sky. Violet，blue，green，yellow，orange and red，the rainbow shone high in the sky. “I wonder if there's a pot of gold on the other side？”Jane asked. She had once been told that leprechauns lived on the other side handing out money to those that made it to the rainbow's end. Bill didn't believe that there was a pot of gold. Jane ignore Bill though and started off across the field，to claim her big pot of money. Let's hope Jane to find her way back home，safe and sound，with a big pot of gold！

在喜马拉雅已支持实时字幕 关注公众号“高效英语磨耳朵”获取文稿和音频 词汇提示 1.hopped 跳跃 2.surge 激增 3.jerk 猛推 4.squealed 尖叫 5.brace 预备，抵住 6.strip 地带 7.beaming 喜气洋洋 原文 Air Plane Ride Tasha signed a piece of paper which gave her a chance to win a free air plane ride. She put her name，address and telephone number on that piece of paper. A few days later，she got a telephone call. It was the man that was holding the ticket draw. Tasha didn't think she would win，but the man on the telephone said she did！ She listened as the man told her where she would have to go to get her free air plane ride. She had to go near the town of Grimsby. She was allowed to pick a friend to go with her on the air plane ride. Tasha was so happy！ She asked her twin sister Tawnya to go with her. Tawnya was very excited！ Neither of them had been on an air plane before. When they got to the air plane center，Tasha and Tawnya were nervous. They knew the air plane was small so that meant only the pilot and they were going to be in the plane. Their mom took a picture of them beside the plane before they left. Tasha and Tawnya hopped into the plane. They put their seatbelts on and got ready for take-off. Tasha got to sit in the very front，right beside the pilot. Tawnya sat behind Tasha. The girls laughed nervously as the plane started rolling down the runway. They went faster and faster，trees passing by quickly. There was a powerful surge making everyone's head jerk back. The plane started lifting off the ground. Up，up and away！ They were up off the ground and flying high in the sky. It seemed as though they could get anywhere within a matter of seconds. They flew from Grimsby to Beamsville where they saw their high school. Then，on to St.Catharines and then Niagara Falls. They even flew the top of their house！ They took pictures of their house. They could see their pond from way up there，too. The pilot asked Tasha if she wanted to fly the plane. “Sure！”Tasha said. So，Tasha took the steering handle and began to fly the plane. She didn't really know how to fly，so when she pulled the handle down，the plane shot upward. Both of the girls squealed. Tasha levelled the plane and flew smoothly from then on. Soon it was time to go back Grimsby. The pilot took over again. We braced ourselves as the landing strip got nearer. The landing went smoothly with Tasha and Tawnya beaming as they looked out at the ground. They hopped off the plane，thanked the pilot and ran to tell their mom about their wonderful experience.

在喜马拉雅已支持实时字幕 关注公众号“高效英语磨耳朵”获取文稿和音频 词汇提示 1.sandals 凉鞋 2.bandages 绷带 3.blisters 水泡 原文 A Life Experience My friend Lani and I went to Burger King yesterday. We ordered a big order of French fries and a couple of drinks. Lani got a strawberry milkshake. I picked out a table near the window，so we could look at the people passing by. As we were sitting there，we heard our favorite song，“Butterfly”by the band Crazy Town come on the radio. We looked at each other with big grins on our faces and started singing and dancing！ It was great fun. Many people began staring at us，wondering why we are so happy. We didn't care，we just kept on moving and enjoying ourselves. The song ended，and we almost finished our food. We sat and talked about what was happening in our lives. She had bought just four new T-shirts for the summer. The new sandals she had got for her birthday had given her really bad blisters on the sides of her feet. When her wore other shoes ，she had to wear bandages on the blisters. I told her that I had bought four new CDs，I love music！ As we finished our conversation，we finished off our drink. I like going out with Lani and talking. Lani is my best friend and I can talk to her about anything. I am glad I have her to share my life with，even if it is as simple as going to Burger King and eating French fries! Lani and I are planning to travel together，so we are trying to save our money. Our French fries and drinks only came to 6 dollars，so we didn't feel too bad about spending our money. I wonder though，if McDonald's would have been cheaper？